Many changes are taking place in the way wireless communication networks are being deployed. Some of the changes are being driven by the adoption of new mobile communications standards. The introduction of software defined radios to wireless telecommunications has led to the generation of software and hardware solutions to meet the new standards.
A software defined radio (SDR) uses software for the modulation and demodulation of radio signals. The use of reprogrammable software allows key radio parameters, such as frequency and modulation protocols to be modified without the need to alter the underlying hardware of the system. Additionally, SDRs allow a single device to support multiple configurations which previously would have required multiple hardware devices. One example of a software defined radio is the Vanu Software Radio produced by Vanu, Inc. (See U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,428).
Current mobile communication standards introduce physical and logical channels and pose new issues in the transport of information within the communication networks. Some modulation protocols that wireless communication networks operate with includes, but is not limited to, Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), code division multiple access (CDMA), Wide-band CDMA (WCDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).
Purchasing hardware designed to operate with only a single standard results in idle resources at times when network demand for that modulation standard is low. To avoid the expenses associated with operating and maintaining hardware dedicated to each standard, there is a need in the art today for communications network hardware that is modulation standard independent and can be dynamically reconfigured to support modulation standards based on the current demands on the network and operate with multiple standards simultaneously.
Another need generated by the adoption of new mobile communications standards is ability for communications network hardware to dynamically adjust the power levels of radio frequency transmissions in order to maintain acceptable signal quality as required by standards. Signal power level adjustments are required both in order to minimize co-channel interference and to conserve power.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below that will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the telecommunications industry for systems and methods for dynamically reconfigurable communication networks which can dynamically adjust communications signal gains.